Understandings of water resource systems through a resilience lens

Abstract: Resilience has been identified as a promising concept for governance and management of social-ecological systems in the era of the Anthropocene. This extends beyond scholarship and into practice, with the term ‘resilience’ becoming increasingly common language in relation to goals of organizations, government agencies and other actors. Resilience scholars acknowledge the diverse ways in which we use ‘resilience’ and have spent considerable time reviewing the literature and developing typologies, however, the extent to which clarity around how resilience is being understood and used in society is unclear. I will describe some of the research I have been involved in over the past six years to assess how stakeholders and the public understand and think about their water resources, using a resilience lens. I will outline the main findings and some of the challenges of this line of research.

Julia Baird

Professor and Canada Research Chair in Human Dimensions of Water Resources and Water Resilience at Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre.

Bio: Julia Baird is an Assistant Professor at Brock University and a Canada Research Chair in Human Dimensions of Water Resources and Water Resilience. Her research interests and expertise include the structure, function and outcomes of water governance networks, perceptions and understanding of water resource systems, and social factors that enhance water stewardship and engagement. Her research has been conducted in Canada, the US, Europe and Australia. Julia received her doctoral degree from the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan, with a M.Sc. also from Saskatchewan and a B.Sc. from the University of Alberta.